Lady Archer's aide 'spied for police'

By Joshua Rozenberg, Legal Editor

12:01AM BST 01 Jul 2003

Lady Archer, wife of the disgraced peer Jeffrey Archer, told the High Court yesterday that her former personal assistant was guilty of an "outrageous breach of confidence" by passing information to police officers who had been investigating Lord Archer for perjury.

Ms Williams, 49, was Lady Archer's personal assistant for 13 years until her dismissal in November 2001.

Thomas Linden, counsel for Lady Archer, told Mr Justice Jackson that Ms Williams had been "intimately acquainted" with her employer's work and household. He told the judge that the aim of the litigation was not to secure damages but to protect Lady Archer's privacy and that of her home.

Mr Linden said that Ms Williams now accepted that her former employer was entitled to an injunction but questioned its scope.

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Ramby de Mello, for Ms Williams, suggested to Lady Archer that her allegation that his client "spied" on her, "imparting information to the police about the work you were doing in relation to your husband's criminal trial", was "pure fiction".

Lady Archer replied: "No it is not." She accused Ms Williams of passing information to the police which was "highly confidential" in an "outrageous breach of my confidence".